Tips on how to organize home décor according to the size of the family

One's home decor changes in lieu with the number of members in the family

• As a family grows in number, it is important to convert small spaces of left out corners of the house into useful areas by adding more sitting elements to meet the comfort level.
• To accommodate changes in home décor as a kid grows up it makes sense to go with Versatility in terms of choosing furniture and other elements of the room. For example : Modular Furniture can be huge blessing at such areas where one can go away with parts of furniture and add up new in the same to provide comfort to kids in their growing age.
• A child’s room should evolve with the child. For example, the décor of a toddler’s room and play room will be different from a 7-10 year old child’s room decor. Similarly, as a child matures and reaches adolescence, he/she would want to incorporate an individual style or make a statement – the décor of the room would need to fit the personality of the child.
• While decorating a home one needs to be very careful while choosing colours and elements which an individual space demands in the house. Selecting a theme for the décor makes sense too.
• A large family requires a large kitchen – the kitchen should be practical as well as beautiful.

The living area too changes with an increase in family members and also according to the age of the kids in the house. When one has very young children, it makes sense not to have breakable items such as porcelain, bone china or crystal displays at a low height, or delicate white lace furnishings on sofas – there are many chances of things being broken or spoilt, if there are young children running around in the house. On the other hand, if the members of the family have almost reached adulthood, one can have such items as part of the décor.

Affordable Furniture Design Trends of 2012

Today India is one of the largest markets for different kinds of furniture. The demand for furniture has seen such a rapid rise that industry experts predict a growth rate of about 30-40% over the next three years itself. Gone are the days when people stayed in their ancestral homes where furniture was passed down from one generation to another. Nowadays, traditional and ethnic furniture designs have given way to modern and sleek designs. 

Affordable, stylish home furniture needs to be both space as well as budget conscious. Says Anant Maloo, CMD of Timbor Home, "A bigger house does not necessarily mean a smarter house." Trends for this year indicate a preference for furniture options that do not take up too much space, but instead keep things organised and focus on efficiency from sleek shelving to boxes and cabinets.

There has been a complete revolution in furniture designs with respect to trends, innovation, outlook and patterns. Modular furniture is an emerging segment and this trend is here to stay. When it comes to affordable, quality furniture, the market today offers a multitude of options. Opting for modular furniture is a good idea for the budget conscious as it offers the option of customisation and since the manufacturing costs are low, consumers do not have to shell out too large an amount.

Furniture sets arranged properly can divide a room into zones for various activities suitable for today’s smaller spaced homes. Clean and minimalist designs are definitely in vogue. Timbor Home’s design lines complement the modern lifestyle and home; be it a small apartment or a large house. Our contemporary furniture designs meet the chic look incorporating efficiency to make the most use out of any space. 

With the increasing consciousness regarding the Earth, environmentally-friendly furniture is a trend that will be a universal trend. Keeping this trend in mind, Timbor Home is FSC (ForestStewardship Council) certified which is a highly respected international standard, meaning that products follow a chain of custody from forestry till end product. 

Upholstered furniture coverings with a focus on texture as opposed to prints are in season for 2012. We foresee a demand for tufted sofas and headboards, which is why Timbor Home has introduced a whole range of beds that have upholstered headboards, keeping consumer preferences and trends in mind. Furniture this year will be lighter with easy movement; Timbor Home has a whole range of affordable accessories from book racks to shelves to room dividers that can be easily moved to create different looks to the same room. Mirrored furniture is another trend that will be quite popular this year. Mirrored furniture can make ones space look much larger and gives a very positive sense of style and stature, which is why we too have designed tables and side tables with mirrored finish glass tops.

Mixing neutral shades with neon colours is a powerful attention grabber, Timbor’s neutral shades of wood makes it easy to complement with bright accessories. Counter that and you have bright colour options from Timbor for the kitchen which can be complemented with neutral shades on walls or flooring as well. Many of Timbor’s dining suites and living room suites are made of a mix of metal, glass, and wood. 

Metal, glass and wood furniture shall dominate this year, with earth tones being very prominent in designs. Natural elements are known to bring peace and calmness in one’s home. One does not need to splurge to have a beautifully decorated home. With just a few touches of bright colours, some interesting textures, well-placed lighting and a proper use of space; one can make a huge difference in the house. 

Biogas out of Kitchen Waste – Plant inaugurated in Hyderabad

With assistance from a scientist of the Indian Institute of ChemicalTechnology (IICT), the residents of a colony in Gun Rock Enclave Colony-Phase II in Secunderabad Cantonment are turning their kitchen waste into biogas using a 'modular digester'. This project was conceived and has been executed by Johny Joseph, who works at the Bioengineering and Environmental Centre at IICT.

During the initial stages, the digester was prepared for kitchen waste disposal. However, the design of the equipment was tweaked to generate biogas. In this anaerobicdigestion process, micro-organisms break down biodegradable material in the absence of oxygen and generate methane as a byproduct.

The biogas plant does not require any technical expertise for its operation. About 40-50 kg of kitchen refuse such as vegetables/greens/fruit peels and eggshells can be dropped into the wide-mouthed feed tank. This tank is fitted with a tight lid and the garbage undergoes multistage digestion within the cascade digester. The biogas generated can be utilised for cooking purposes. Almost 50 kg of kitchen waste can generate enough biogas to take care of the cooking needs of a family of three to four.

This environment-friendly project is being funded by the Union ministryof new and renewable energy and costs approximately Rs 1.40 lakh. 70% of the funding has come from IICT and 30%, by the colony residents.

SCB chief executive officer S Balakrishna, who inaugurated the facility, said the SCB was ready to contribute in case any residential colony wants to set up the modular digester. 


Source: TOI Hyderabad

Modular Kitchens - quite the rage!

The Western consumer is quite aware and has thus created the demand for modular kitchens, and India too is seeing a surge in this demand. The modular kitchen concept is based on the idea that the kitchen is not just a room to cook and eat, but also a space where the family gathers for relaxation and comfort, made in such a way so as to utilize optimum space.

Timbor Home’s modular kitchens are based on this very idea and so as to cater to all consumer segments, they have two separate brands for modular kitchens, ‘Timbor Cucine’ and the higher-end ‘IKI Kitchen.’

Many of the new-age home owners have shown a preference for modular kitchens and furniture. Consumers usually search out and finalize their designs while the house is getting built/furnished etc. This saves a lot of time as the modular kitchen is only installed once all the other aspects of the kitchen building site are complete.

Take a look at some of the IKI kitchen designs:

Simple wood front panels contrast with green laminated wall units give a simple yet contemporary look to the kitchen.

The straight design with wall unit and side units in contrast color add to the overall look of the kitchen.

The Hi gloss lacquer teamed with aluminium give a very modern and classy look. 

Open glass fronted drawers add to the aesthetics of the design.

High gloss laminated front doors invite you to be tactile. They harmonize perfectly with the open glass fronted drawers. The aluminium tambor unit with aluminum framed glass shutters, create a picture of sheer elegance and timelessness!

Organised Retailers Change Tactics – Fewer, Smaller Stores

All across India, companies in the business of organized retail have tweaked their strategies, some for the second and even the third time, as well as consolidated their operations. This trend can be seen in nearly all retail companies, in terms of changes in their management teams and their business models. The main reason for this can be attributed to higher rentals, power bills, excise duties, etc. that increase operating costs and also the slowdown in the economy which reduces consumer spending.

A formula that was popular in 2008-09, is slowly emerging as the success mantra for today as well. Fewer formats and stores, and smaller ones are the way to go for the retailers nowadays.

Take the case of Reliance Retail and the Aditya Birla Group, who plan to focus on hypermarkets, while Shoppers Stop plans to open more departmental stores and two hypermarkets in the coming year. Reliance Retail, which has 22 formats from hypermarkets to specialty stores, exited two formats in 2008-09—Reliance Kitchen, which sold modular kitchen furniture, and Reliance Wellness, a beauty and lifestyle chain. The retailer now plans to downsize its new hypermarket stores by 60% and new departmental stores by 15% as it looks to increase its profitability for every square foot of store space.

According to Boston Consulting Group (BCG), modern or organized retail accounted for USD 35 billion, or about 7-8% of the USD 470 billion Indian retail market in 2011.


Source: Livemint 

Home Expo India (HEI-2012) kickstarts this Sunday

For the first time in India, a four day long product-segmented mega triple show, Home Expo India shall begin this Sunday at the India Expo Centre & Mart, Greater Noida Expressway in Greater Noida. 


This show has been organized by the nodal export promotion body for handicrafts, The Export Promotion Council for Handicrafts (EPCH). It shall be made up of the Indian Houseware and Decoratives Show (IHDS), Indian Furnishings, Floorings and Textiles Show (IFFTEX) and Indian Furniture and Accessories Shows (IFAS) in which more than 600 Indian exporters shall have their goods on display.


R. K. Malhotra, President, Home Expo India 2012 stated that the most important aspect of Home Exp India is the confirmation from large number of top buyers, buying houses, import houses, chain stores, boutique owners and interior decorators from leading markets like the United States, European Union, Far East, Latin America, Central Asia and African continents to visit and source at this show.

He further added that HEI will  be visited by many Indian architects, interior decorators, hoteliers, On-line buyers, E-commerce portals etc. for sourcing their varied requirements. According to Indian Brand Equity Foundation, India ranks fourth amongst the 30 countries that were surveyed in global retail development index. The projected size of Indian market is estimated at USD 637 billion by 2015.


Source: SME Times